Downtown Rochester shoppers can win big during Mad Money March

ROCHESTER — Four lucky patrons who shop in downtown Rochester this March will start the spring off with shopping sprees of up to $1,000.

The Rochester Downtown Development Authority is hosting its fifth annual Mad Money March event, which DDA Events Coordinator Jenna O’Dell said is an incentive to spend dollars in downtown Rochester by entering people in a drawing for a chance to win $1,000, $500 or $250 shopping sprees at participating merchants.

“February going into March is kind of a gloomier time in Michigan,” O’Dell said. “This is something to look forward to … and your chances of winning are higher than the lottery, so why not give it a chance?”

To qualify for entry into the drawings, patrons must spend at least $100 combined at one or more of the 40 participating businesses anytime in March. Customers will be allowed one entry for every $100 spent through March 31, and the four winners will be notified April 2.

When people add up what they spend in a month, O’Dell said, they will realize that it really isn’t hard to spend $100 in downtown Rochester.

“If you take your family to one of the restaurants for dinner, you are probably about halfway there to reaching $100,” she said.

Patrick Mulrenin, who owns Fieldstone Winery, encourages shoppers to shop local during the promotion.

“Our stores down here have great things to offer, and it’s an opportunity to win a shopping spree that you can spend at any of these stores,” he said.

Patrons must bring their receipts to one of three locations to be validated: the DDA office, 308 1/2 S. Main St., between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; Fieldstone Winery, 223 S. Main St., during business hours Tuesdays-Sundays; or South Street Skateshop, 410 S. Main St., during business hours Mondays-Sundays.

For more information, including a list of participating businesses, visit www.DowntownRochesterMI.com or call (248) 656-0060.